Apparatus for cleaning films.



C. DE M008.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FILMS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10. 1915.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- 5] wvewtoz cl DE Moos. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FILMS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, I915- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATEN Fro.

CHARLES be MOOS, OF FORT LEE, JERSEY, ASSIGN OR TO MOTIONPIOTURE PROP- ERTIES COMPANY, OF FORT LEE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR, CLEANING FILMS.

Patented Mar. 20, 1911?.

Application filed April 10, 1915. Serial No. 20,416.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES DE Moos, of the city of Fort Lee, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cleaning Films; and I do hereby declare the following to be alfull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has reference to the films employed in motion picture apparatus. As is well understood in the art, these films are made of celluloid on one side of which is a gelatinous substance. The dull side is the gelatin side and the bright or shiny side is the celluloid side.

In the developing and printing of the films chemical residues collect upon the celluloid side of the film which, if not removed, will cause a defect in the picture. This is especially the case when the celluloid side of the film is colored.

My invention contemplates efficient means for thoroughly cleaning the films and at the same time insuring their quick drying so as to avoid any tendency of the windings upon the take up reel sticking together. 7

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of a' film cleaning apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the rear side. Figs. 3, 4: and 5 are, respectively, details of the moistening and cleansing device, a portion of the recording mechanism, and one of the drying and wiping members.

Referring to the drawings 1 designates a suitable base or support on which the film cleaning apparatus is mounted. As indicated in Fig. 1 the film is fed from a reel inclosed in the casing 2 to a reel suitably mounted in the casing 3. The film is designated by the numeral 1.

In its traverse from the feeding reel to the take up reel the film first passes in con-. tact with a wick which is immersed in wood alcohol or other ,fluid appropriate for removing the chemical residues which may be onthe film, after which it passes over a plurality of rapidly rotating Wipers or buffers. The moistening and cleaning device is indicated generally at 5 and the buffers at 6.

The moistening and cleaning device-comprises a wick reel 7 and an alcohol receptacle 8. The reel 7 is mounted in an appropriate casing supported by the-vertical plate 9 of the machine on whichthe reels 2 and 3, as well as the buffers 6, are mounted. The .wick 10 is fed by hand from the reel 7 into and through the alcohol receptacle 8 where it is passed beneath an idler roller 12. The film 4 in passing through the receptacle is between the roller 12 and the wick 10 so that the film is directly in contact with the wick at the upper side of the latterand the wick is immersed in the alcohol at its lower side, but the film does not pass directly through the body of the fluid but only the portion thereof which may be fed through the wick. In consequence it is the direct/contact between the moistened wick and the film which effects the cleaning of the latter. When the portion of the wick within the receptacle has collected so much of the chemical residues carried by the film as to render its use no longer desirable, an additional portion of the Wick mav be fed from the reel 7, and the used portion cut off leaving a fresh section of the'wick.

It is desirable that the film in passing through the alcohol, receptacle be maintained in close contact with the wick and also that means be provided for readily removing the wick from contact withthe film in order to advance the wick for the purpose of presenting a new contact portion. As shown in detail in Fig. '3 the alcohol receptacle 8 is mounted on a vertically disposed post 13 within a sleeve 14 containing.

a coil spring 15, the lower end of which bears against a bolt 16 tapped in the lower end of the sleeve. This bolt is formed with a milled wheel 17 at its outer end by which the bolt may be turned to lessen or increase the tension of the spring. The tendency of the spring is to maintain the alcohol recep tacle upward so that the wick will be in contact with the film. The receptacle may be moved downward by pressure of the hand and held by a catch-18 engaging a lug 18 on thepost. The sleeve may be secured to the wall 9 as at 19. The post 13 is--within the sleeve and contacts with the spring and is maintained in its upward positlon by the latter.

Alcohol is fed to the receptacle 8 from a suitable container or reservoir 20. As shown in Fig. 2 a pipe 21 extends down the rear side of the wall plate 9 and through the latter into the receptacle, while an outlet pipe 22 leads back through the plate 9 and may empty into a suitable receptacle. This alcohol may be used repeatedly since it is not the alcohol itself but the wick saturated with the alcohol that takes up the chemical residues from the film. The buffers 6 are mounted in bearings extending through the vertical plate 9 and, as shown in Fig. 2, their shafts carry band wheels 23, 24, 25 in gear with the armature shaft of a motor 26.

In Fig. 5 I have shown the construction of one of the buffers. As illustrated it consists of a collar 27 having a plurality of radially arranged pads of felt 28. The collar is adapted to fit upon a hub 29 and to be securely held by a face plate 30 having a central threaded boss 31 adapted to receive the threaded extremity of the shaft 32.

The rollers 33 shown in Fig. 1 are merely idlers, one arranged above each of the buffers 6, and suitably journaled in the wall plate 9, and tending to maintain the film in contact with the buffers and subjected to the drying action resulting from the rapid rotation of the buffers.

I provide for indicating the length of the film as it is wound upon the reel 3. As shown in Fig. 1, 35 is a suitable gage and 36 is a sprocket journaled in the front face of the plate 9 adjacent the reel 3 and formed with teeth at its edges engaged by the perforations in the film, thereby rotating the sprocket. As shown in Fig. 2 the shaft on which this sprocket is mounted carries a larger sprocket 37 which is rotated by con nection with the band wheel 24. The hub of the sprocket 37 is also connected to the band wheel 38 on the shaft of the reel 3. A sprocket 37 (Fig. 1) is also rotated by the traveling film and has a flexible connection 41 (Fig. 2) with the gage 35, a worm 42 on the flexible connection engaging the pinion 43 of the gage.

bination with the distributing and collecting reels, of a moistening and cleaning device, comprising a fluid receptacle through which the film is fed, a wick reel, a wick fed from said reel into said receptacle, and means for holding said Wick, moistened by the fluid in said receptacle, in contact with said film and intermediate the latter and the cleaning fluid.

3. In a film cleaning apparatus, the combination with the distributing and collecting reels, of a moistening and cleaning device comprising a fluid receptacle through which the film is fed, a wick in said receptacle between said film and said fluid, means for maintaining contact between said wick and said film, and means for rendering said last mentioned means ineffective.

4. In a film cleaning apparatus, the combination with the distributing and collecting reels, of a moistening and cleaning device comprising a fluid receptacle through which the film is fed, a roller above said receptacle beneath and around which said film passes, a wick in said receptacle beneath and in normal contact with said film, and means for supporting said receptacle, the latter being movable relatively to said supporting means to disengage said wick from said film.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES DE MODS. Witnesses:

GRAFTON L. McGILL, MARION I. BALFOUR. 

